Monday, March 25, 2024 – Three boys dubbed "little rascals", who were arrested in connection with a bank robbery after their parents turned them in, could face probation or juvenile prison.
The suspects, aged 11, 12 and 16, were charged with robbery
by threat, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
The boys made headlines when officials posted on social
media that they were wanted for robbing a Wells Fargo bank in the Greenspoint
area of north Houston, Texas, on March 14.
A witness to the incident initially told officials the boys
appeared to be between 14 and 18 years old. However, in the arrest update, the
FBI said they are 16, 12, and 11 years old.
Mike Schneider, a retired juvenile district court judge,
told ABC13 that the age of the younger two is quite uncommon for a bank
robbery.
"It's one of the first times I've seen that," he
said.
While FBI Houston released the surveillance photos, the case
is a Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) investigation.
According to HCSO, the boys passed a threatening note to a
teller. It was thought they had a weapon, but they didn't show one, and they
ran off with an undisclosed amount of cash.
After the photos were shown, the Sheriff's Office started
getting tips from people. The parents of two of the boys came forward and said
it was them, the Sheriff's Office said.
The third boy was caught by police after a fight. The
Sheriff's Office said police found a weapon and a special item seen in one of
the photos.
"I was thinking either this was very low in
sophistication or maybe an adult had something to do with this. That is not
uncommon. Because kids have a punishment that is less severe, it is not
uncommon for adult offenders to get them to commit crimes," Schneider
said.
If the allegations are proven true, they could face
probation until they turn 18 or juvenile prison until they turn 19, according
to one criminal defense attorney.
The 16-year-old could also be certified as an adult, but it
is not likely, he said.
-overlay.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
0 Comments